Mighty Micah: From Fear to Confidence
Micah's condition made it hard for him to walk. After surgery, his life transformed.
Born with spastic diplegia, Micah had difficulty walking with stability due to the abnormal increase in muscle tone in the lower part of his body, a trait that is characteristic of his condition. He worried about falling down on the playground, and relied on holding his parents’ hands in order to go up and down stairs. After consulting with pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Lauren Ostling, Micah’s parents knew that the selective dorsal rhizotomy procedure would be the best chance they had at helping Micah to walk with confidence.
“The best thing about UCSF, aside from [Dr. Ostling], was getting that level of rehab afterwards,” says dad John, reflecting upon the unique opportunity our neurosurgery patients have to undergo rehabilitation in the same facility that they had their surgery.
“You’re a pretty strong guy!” John tells Micah, remarking upon the rehabilitative exercises his son now does every day. “I am!” replies Micah with a grin, ready to take on the world (and the staircase at home).